ANU, The Raj Years
by Shabnam Vasisht
The book, a true story, describes a woman's extraordinary life to the point of Independence of her country. Anu was born during the British raj, when the struggle for Indian Independence was well under way. As an Indian Christian, her upbringing was influenced by both British and Indian values. By the time she joined the prestigious Allahabad University most students were caught up in the freedom movement, led by the city’s famous Nehru family. After graduation she was involved in Mahatma Gandhi’s Basic Education programme, designed to bring literacy to the masses....Click for more details
|
ANU, The Nomad Years
by Shabnam Vasisht
This is the follow up to ANU the Raj Years. It takes the story of this remarkable women to even greater heights. When Anu married a Hindu of the highest caste, she entered a world far removed from her Christian roots. This, the second part of Anu’s story, covers her marriage years. She followed her army husband across the length and breadth of a newly-independent India. Anu’s adventures took her from the bustling capital city of Delhi to the scorpion -infested Ahmednagar; from the mosquito-ridden Patna to the lotus lakes of Kashmir; and from the campsite of Udhampur to the hills of the Western Ghats. Along the way, she bore three children and wrestled with a marriage that swung from one extreme to another. Eventually, Anu made a decision that would dramatically change her life again. But that’s another story …...Click for more details
|
A Tale Within a Tale
by Maureen Barclay
and researched by Sheila Carpenter.
This is truly a tale within a tale. The larger story is a nostalgic journey through a remarkable century, which began with no domestic electricity, no motorised vehicles and a life expectancy of just forty-seven years, and yet saw technological, scientific, medical and social achievements unsurpassed in history. The story within is their story, and how their lives, and the lives of all of us, intertwine with the personal and public events that happen around us....Click for more details
|
Peace, War and Love
by John Smale
This is a true War story illustrated with black and white photographs, postcards and letters. Jack and Sophie had different childhoods in the years between the Wars. The couple met and then moved apart, came back together and married. There were lots of `near misses' during the War, but they both, luckily, survived. Jack joined the Army and when stationed in London had to undergo the bombing during the Blitz. When his overseas posting came he was on the ill-fated Windsor Castle, a cruise liner converted for convoying troops. It was hit by a torpedo when on its way to Algiers. He was locked in his cabin, given the 'last rites' but the troops were rescued by the Royal Navy. Meanwhile, Sophie, now pregnant with their first son, was stationed at RAF Manston, a prime taget for the Luftwaffe. She escaped a direct hit on her air-raid shelter because she had a premonition. Sophie moved to the Dorset coast to be with Jack's parents for the birth of her son while Jack was in North Africa and later in Italy. Full of colourful description of the old rural England and their WW2 experiences, this book tells how their love grew and survived against all odds. But that’s another story …...Click for more details
|
Which Way Next?
by John Brown
The collection of articles found within this book are the ramblings of a slightly unhinged writer or the work of a profound incisive genius – dependent upon your respective view or state of mind. Drawn from personal experiences, like the wedding of my daughter Georgina or the complete frustration of living in the modern world with all its technological advances but feeling slightly detached – I have attempted to express what I hope and pray, are not things solely singled out to make me feel inadequate or lacking - but the everyday frustration and madness felt by each of us as we face an ever increasing wall of stupidity from people who should know better. If you recognize some of the situations I’ve touched upon, then welcome to the ‘Club’. If you don’t, then you are one of the lucky ones, and the rest of us would like to know where you live ?
But that’s another story …...Click for more details
|